Weather advisory remains in effect

Elizabeth O'Brien shovels the sidewalk on Davidson Road in Worcester, next to her home, this afternoon.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect around Central Massachusetts as snow and freezing rain are expected to fall in the region this evening. The National Weather Service in Taunton said the advisory remains until midnight.

Driving was slow on many major highways today, with drivers slowly moving along on Interstate 290 about 40 to 50 mph, but state police around the region did not report any major accidents.

There were reports of spin-outs on some highways. About 6:30 this morning the speed on the Massachusetts Turnpike was reduced to 40 mph from Springfield to the Worcester exits.

At 7 p.m., the National Weather Service reported unofficial snowfall totals of 8.3 inches in Boylston, 6.5 inches in Worcester and Westminster, and 5 inches in Leominster.

Fitchburg lifted its winter parking ban at 7 tonight.

The expectation that 6 to 10 inches of snow would hit the area continued to change as meteorologists tracked the weather conditions, said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

“Basically as the system got closer we kept lowering our snowfall expectation,” he said.

Temperatures continued to get higher and the system moved far out to sea, he said.

"The only problem with this storm is the length," said Worcester Department of Public Works Commissioner Robert L. Moylan Jr.

The storm started about 6 p.m. Saturday and was continuing late today.